9.30.2009

Traveling through Missouri was loads of fun. Got to drive through some radical small towns and villages and mix it up with the locals. Headed up to St Louis a day early before our show to relax. After we checked into the hotel, we headed out to experience the St Louis nightlife. The venue was in University City by the colleges, so we checked it out. A local jam band was playing. They had the place packed with day-glo hippies, forming hacky sack circles and dancing like banshees. It was an impressive sight. We befriended a dude in a banana suit (no joke) who showed us around town, and a lovely lesbian couple that taught us some sweet dance moves (true story).

The locals were super nice in St Louis. We did some promo around town the day of the show and on the college campus, and everyone was a great sport. Anthony (our guitarist) even got to carry a girl to class. He also attended a class for a little bit and interviewed some of the students.

We had the pleasure of meeting Beatle Bob for coffee that afternoon. He is infamous around the world for dancing on stage at Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Jazz Fest and a slew of other festivals. Rumor has it that he has been to a live music event every day for the last 30 years or something. We got to interview him and hear some wild stories. He's got loads of them. Good man. Beatle Bob. Wikipedia him for reals.

Our show that night was dope. We played with a band from Minnesota called My Lady Four and they were bomb. We had fun drinking some suds and bullshitting with the dudes, our bands are very much alike.

So now I sit in the van and roll towards our next destination... Rockford, IL to play at Kryptonite Bar. Heading to Chicago right after the show to hang with friends and family. Can't wait.

9.26.2009

Day one. On route to Las Cruces, NM. Tearing through the cruel heart of the twisted desert at top speed.

The last few days have been utter madness. Despite our greatest efforts, last minute stuff came up, but all was handled. We are free.

I drove the first leg of today's trip. Pulling a 10 ft trailer is a lot like driving a boat. Anthony Gabuzzi (@Gabuzzi), guitarist extraordinaire, currently has the reigns of this great beast as it glides gracefully across the lands. Godspeed. The ride is smooth so far and there's lots to do in here. Our TM, Rian Ohoro (@horboy80), is dishing out some sweet jams as DJ... I'd have to say the highlights so far have been "Heaven is a Place on Earth" and "Come Sail Away." Epic. There's also a N64 in here... Mario Kart, Smash Bros, Goldeneye. Shits gonna get nutty.

I've been meaning to get going with the music reviews I've promised. I've been absorbing two albums with great interest this week. The first is the third album from Canadian indie pop group Islands. It's called "Vapours." The other album is riding a huge blog buzz wave... "Album" by newcomers Girls. I'm gonna give them each a few more spins and then spill my thoughts and smear them around.

I'm writing this from my phone at the moment, but once our Mi-Fi is up and running, I wanna post some multimedia stuff up in this piece.

Gotta run... I've been challenged to a van dance off in lovely Wallthrop, AZ. Next stop: Las Cruces, NM. I heard it was lovely this time of year. Hurricane Alley, get ready to have your faces imploded.

9.18.2009

It's gonna be an insane weekend, the last before we take off for tour. I've never been away from home for 5 weeks straight, so this could be interesting. Lots and lots of rehearsing to do, as well as shopping for the odds and ends that we will inevitably need while we are gone.

I got to scope out the van yesterday. One of our tour managers, Rian, decided to buy the van for the tour, because his heart was swelling with love and goodwill, and because the transmission on his car crapped out at just the right time. Let me tell you, this van is a dream machine. It's more like a big limo than a van. Leather captains chairs with loads of extra room, rich mahogany trim, strip lighting, TV/VCR, two CD / audio players with headphone jacks throughout... It's even got a little vacuum so we can keep it tidy. We are so blessed!

We are having a little going away party this weekend as well. My folks, with their infinite love and support (no matter how insane my life choices may be), have opted to host the party, and they will be loading up on finely spiced BBQ and cold beer for the festivities. Friends and relatives alike will gather to celebrate what will surely be an adventure of epic proportions. We will even have a donation jar so we can collect gift cards, gas money and dry foods... haha!

I am anxious to hit the road and get going. I'm excited as can be for the shows, but I really think the Comicons are gonna be a hoot as well. The Apneist is the first comic book I've ever written, and I'm super anxious to see how it fares among a crowd of consumers that aren't afraid to revel in the surreal, to dive into products of fantasy with completely open minds and experience worlds beyond their own. I never thought I'd be in this position, and I sure as hell didn't plan it this way, but I have a feeling that going multi-media with our album is gonna enrich our lives in some unexpected ways.

I am grateful that the silly string of events that I call my life has delivered me to this moment in time. I am surrounded by strong, positive people who are ready and able to ride this rollercoaster together into the great unknown. Let the intrepid travelers ride on.... to infinity.

9.16.2009

When it was suggested that I start a blog, I racked my brain trying to come up with a central theme. What can I write about with interest and zeal? What do I know? I'm just a kid from Arizona with a dream looking to cut my teeth in a series of formidable and intimidating industries.... Errr... Wait. I could write about that I guess, couldn't I?

So let's get introductions out of the way so we don't have to be strangers anymore. I'm James. I sing. I play bass. I play keyboard. I do graphic design. I write. I live in Phoenix, AZ.

Phew... so that brings me to this point in time.... The date is Wednesday, Sept 16. In 10 days, I will be embarking on a journey throughout this great country of ours. My band, A Life of Science, has put together a tour centered around 3 major Comic Cons that we will be exhibiting our new album / comic book at. We will be doing some random Comic Con performances as well.

So yeah... 10 days left... 10 days that I will spend every waking hour planning, practicing and promoting. We just got a new van today, and its a sweet ass conversion van. It's even got a TV and VCR, which is huge (especially since one of our tour managers has a wicked VHS collection). We are looking at trailers this week.

I feel good about my job as A Life of Science's graphic designer at the moment. I was able to successfully order albums, comic books, booth materials for the comicons, tshirts and promo cards for the tour. Damn near killed me, but all's well that ends well.

Now, as the days creep closer and closer, I let the feelings of excitement, anxiousness and nervousness wash over my body with each passing moment. I'm pretty much too busy to fully take any of it in, but such is life.... and I love life.

I'm gonna be blogging daily. This blog will serve as my tour diary and my journal. Also, I listen to loads of music (mostly indie rock) and read as much as I can, so expect full reviews and recommendations. I'll also be talking about "The Apneist" a great deal.. it's pretty much been my life for the past few years. I'll explain later what exactly "The Apneist" is, because that's a whole dialog right there.

Thanks for tuning in. If you want even more up-to-date blogging from yours truly, look no further than http://www.twitter.com/jameskeenan.

Over and out. Hmmm... I'd better work on a better closing signature, ha!